Jack sat in the courtroom, a thin smile on his face. He'd never had a huge problem with governments combining into a world government, but he was irritated when they forced the E'shyum to participate. His people voted towards joining, and while he strongly disagreed, he allowed the E'shyum to do as they wished.

It was even worse when this new government remembered his part in the Josiah catastrophe five years ago. Because of his unwilling help, the people demanded for him to be jailed.

Which put him here, in a courtroom, his lawyers talking to a jury, demanding his innocence.

He didn't pay attention to the lawyers babbling. Most of the facts they used were lies, their witnesses false. Jack regretted his deception, for only he and Brad truely knew what happened, and Brad hadn't shown his face in ages.

Which was why this whole trial was pointless. The prosecuters had no evidence, no witnesses, and nothing more than speculation from people who saw Jack with Josiah in the very end.

It was shocking how little of the specualation mentioned that he actually tried to stop Josiah, just as much as anyone else. Oh yeah, and they didn't even seem to remember how much Brad did to fight Josiah, and how while Josiah did succeed in destroying the shards eventually, Brad, the E'shyum general, was the one who stopped him twice.

To think that they called this a trial...

ooc: I'll tell about Brad in a later post.

KatanaDark Wizard\"She said tonight...come on come on collide...see what I fire feels like..I bet its just like heaven.\"

"Seifer and I are going to the courthouse...when he gets here." She says, slowly crouching down so that she could face her father eye to eye. Despite the time that had passed, the only thing that changed about Henry on the outside. Otherwise, Holly was still staring at a middle-aged, male version of herself.

"As much as I can considering... But even the most exciting day of retirement cannot compare the the blandest day with the Marinae."

"Well, I hope that is true."

"Planning our own retirement, are we?"

"I'm finished with this. I've helped create two of the most powerful organizations in the world; I've led armies into battle in the greatest, and most unique war mankind has seen; I've helped defeat a madman with the powers of a god. I'm ready to sit back and relax."

"What more can a man ask for."

"Exactly."

"Well, I'll see you on the golf course then?"

Henry half mimed the swinging of a golf club as best he could from his position.

"I'd be glad to."

Alden sighed to himself as a small grin crept across his face. As Henry rode away, Alden approached Holly.

(Last edited by FX on 01-21-08 02:14 AM)

KatanaDark Wizard\"She said tonight...come on come on collide...see what I fire feels like..I bet its just like heaven.\"

Holly tilted her head and smiled as she rose back to her full height of about five feet.

NOW he stays out of things... she thought to herself with an exasperated sigh.

However, Holly did not question Henry. She simply smiled and waved as he made his way back the way he came.

As Alden made his way onto the scene, Holly greeted him with a raised eyebrow. After the events five years ago, Holly had not seen much of Alden and still didn't know what to make of him.

She glanced around for a moment before looking back at Alden, only this time, despite the ice in her eyes, her stare was warm.

This was perhaps the first time she was with the man alone. She couldn't help but laugh on the inside, all the frustrations she felt toward the man years ago flooding back into her head. Those frustrations had simply vanished. Vanished the day, she knew, that he put his hand on her shoulder as she cried.

"You know..." She says coyly. "I wanted to get you like this...alone...so badly." She grinned. She was not taunting Alden. She was simply being playful. "And you know what? I probably would have tried to kill you." She adds with a giggle.

She takes a few steps toward him, left hand still resting over her stomach, her right hand outstretched to shake his.

"That day changed him; the shards changed him. For him, it wasn't the same as for us. The shards augmented us, added to who we were. Let us do things we couldn't. Levitate objects with our mind, protect ourselves from harm. But for Eric, it redefined him. Imagine if you were suddenly invincible? It changes the way you interact with the world. Turns you from a timid accountant into a fearless warrior. I imagine Josiah himself went through a similar process.

"Now that the way you live in the world has changed drastically, what if - suddenly - it was gone? That thing that made you so powerful and confident vanished without a trace. I imagine Eric felt that he needed some time to himself."

KatanaDark Wizard\"She said tonight...come on come on collide...see what I fire feels like..I bet its just like heaven.\"

She tilted her head and looked up at Alden. "I want to see him...I know you haven't...but...you'd know where he ran off to, right? Or...at least have an idea."

Suddenly, Holly felt awkward. She hadn't talked about the issue much, except with Seifer on occasion, and even then, they were just simple reference the pair would acknowledge. Talking about it with Alden didn't make it any easier.

"Why are you still here?" She asked, cutting to the chase. "Everybody is getting ready inside..." she said, tilting her head toward the courthouse for a brief second. "If its to pay your respects to Edgar and Leon, don't let me distract you." She says softly, turning toward the courthouse to wait inside.

"Be sure to let Seifer know I'm inside, if you see him, please."

(Last edited by Katana on 01-24-08 02:48 AM)

Ϡ
This isn't about you and your loud mouth,This is about me and my fucking beard.

"No. Not irony. It's Leon, bored in heaven, getting his last laughs in." Seifer looked around the vacant square, somewhat insulted no one else was present to commemorate the day these two great men gave their lives.

"So, have you seen Holly? She said something about the trial and I'd figure I'd find her here."

Holly hadn't even closed the door behind her yet when she heard Seifer's voice. However, she knew that he would eventually come inside. Her heart began skipping beats as Holly paced back and forth in the lobby. It had been a few months since she and Seifer had been together. In reality, not even half a year had gone by, but to Holly, it felt like an eternity, especially with her little secret that was slowly becoming more difficult to keep.

Finally, after wearing herself out with her thoughts and pacing, Holly slumped in one of the soft lounge chairs, making nervous circles gently across her tummy.

Ϡ
This isn't about you and your loud mouth,This is about me and my fucking beard.

"Alright, thanks." Seifer nodded a farewell to Alden and made his way towards the courtroom. He'd been gone on an expedition to stabilize the territories during the past half-year, garnering a position as General of the IFDF. But the mission had kept him from the one thing he cared about most. He slowly opened the door and his eyes fell upon Holly.

"Long time no see, beautiful."

KatanaDark Wizard\"She said tonight...come on come on collide...see what I fire feels like..I bet its just like heaven.\"

Holly's blue eyes widened as they met with Seifer's. Despite rehearsing this moment over and over again, Holly's calm and collected greeting flew right out the window.

With a squeal of excitement, she bolted from the chair, leaping directly into his arms. "You sonuvabitch!" she growled, smiling from ear to ear. There were so many things she wanted to ask him. She wanted to know everything about Isha and how everything went, in person, not through some news article. However, she bit her lip, deciding that it would probably be better to hammer the questions at him until after the trial.

Ϡ
This isn't about you and your loud mouth,This is about me and my fucking beard.

Seifer read Holly's racing thoughts through the waves of excitement in her icy blue eyes. After a quick kiss on the lips, he looked up at the courtroom at the end of the hall. He had a few secrets to tell Holly that would have to wait.

They all sat in the IFDF courtroom, dispersed amongst the hundreds, not counting those watching through the plethora of news cameras. The entire world was watching. Holly had just finished her testimonial and began walking back to her seat. On her way, she caught the hint of a smile from Jeremy, who sat at the front of the room, facing the crowd, along with several others.

As she sat down, he stood up. He walked over to a microphone, leaning on a short cane. The harpoon through his chest had only missed his heart because of the lucky, unknown side effect of gratuitous teleportation. His organs had shifted slightly, but just enough.

He spoke into the microphone, quietly, but his voice carried nonetheless.

"If Eric Russo is in the building, will he please take the stand?" He paused for just a moment, "I didn't think so. Then will Jack Dreddin, please take the stand?"

Jeremy sat back down, as Jack, escorted by two IFDF officials, shuffled to the stand; his hands chained to his feet, and his feet chained to each other. He took his seat and, prepared to speak. But he was cut off before he began, as the far wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole that men swarmed through. They wore black outfits that covered their entire bodies, with a red line slashing from their right shoulder down past their left hip. They were armed to the tooth, and began to open fire. The guards in the room stood up, but they were only meant to guard one man, and were quickly taken out.

A group of attackers spotted Holly and charged towards her. She hastily looked for Seifer, but they had been separated in the chaos around them. As they charged her, a man that had been sitting nearby that she hadn't even noticed before, stood up. He wore a black cloak and a matching hood, and he approached the assailants.

Before Holly knew what was happening, the cloaked man held a long, metal staff in his hands. He swung it, and cracked it against one of the attacker's heads. He then brought it back around, and swept out another''s feet. Pivoting it over his head, he swung it down, smashing on top of the final assailant.

He turned towards Holly, and removed his hood. He had a familiar face, although it had changed. It was sleeker, its cheekbones more defined, but it had the same shaved head.